How do you perform infant and child CPR?

A:

Quick Answer

To perform infant and child CPR, the chest should be carefully compressed to a count of 30, followed by two mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths. Infant and child CPR should be performed immediately if the heart and breathing stop. It should precede any call to emergency services, as outlined by MedlinePlus.

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If possible, it is important not to stop CPR until emergency services have arrived. If alone with the infant or child, a neighbor should always be called upon to dial 911 so the child is not left alone and CPR can continue uninterrupted, as advised by MedlinePlus's guidelines. Follow the steps below to perform emergency infant and child CPR.

Check for response

Gently shake or pat the infant and shout for a response. If there is no response, shout for somebody nearby to call 911.

Perform chest compressions

Place the infant or child on his back, ensuring that the head or neck do not twist. Being careful to avoid the end of the breastbone, place two fingers below the nipples of the child. Hold the other hand against his forehead to keep the head from tilting forward. Rapidly press down 30 times on the chest, each time to between a third and halfway of the chest depth. Between each compression, allow the chest to fully rise.

Open airway and check for breathing

Gently bring up the chin while holding the forehead back to open the airway. Listen carefully to the child's mouth and nose, and feel for signs of breathing. Also check for movement of the chest.

If required, perform rescue breaths

If there is no sign that the child is breathing, place mouth completely over his and cover his nose. Keeping the chin lifted and forehead tilted back, administer two rescue breaths, causing the chest to rise. Each breath should last about a second.

Repeat CPR

Alternate between the 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until help arrives. If possible, the child should not be left alone for the purpose of calling 911 for at least 2 minutes.